Abstract:
The natural geographer Axel Hamberg (1863-1933) became the funder of the research in the mountain massif, Sarek, Sweden, the area that is known as Sweden?s last wild life area. He based his thesis on the research results from Sarek. He installed instruments for hydrographical and metrological measurements, as well as for sun hour registrations. But he was only present in the summers/autumns, so to ... keep the measurements on an annual basis did he hire SÃ¡mi as research assistants. Lars Nilsson Tuorda (1858-1930) became the most hired one, and he was employed by as a regular for almost two decades. Tuorda made most of the annual registrations and measurements in the Sarek research, supervised logistics in the area, and became in charge of the financial aspect of the research organisation when Hamberg was not present. Tuorda?s responsibility was massive. In Hamberg?s published scientific works are the efforts made by Tuorda, and other extras and assistants, not mentioned. Tourda?s, and others? jobs, were only revealed in Tuorda?s letters to Hamberg, and in Hamberg?s private field work diaries. Hamberg made the efforts of his assistants invisible before the reading public, and the scientific community. This also means that Hamberg based his thesis on scientific works he did not all execute himself, leaving beside the knowledge his SÃ¡mi co-workers provided for him, knowledge that he was in great need of in his work in Sarek. My own research is to reveal the extent of the works and efforts made by Hamberg?s hired assistants, in particular Lars Nilsson Tuorda?s work in Hamberg?s Sarek research organisation.

Â«Between the Arctic ?Other? and Subject: Two Researchers? Images of SÃ¡mi in the 19th centuryÂ» i C. Folke Ax (eds.) Encountering Foreign Worlds: Experiences at Home and Abroad, Proceedings from the 26th Nordic Congress of Historians ReykjavÃ­k 8-12 August 2007, ReyjavÃ­k HÃ¡skÃ³laÃºtgÃ¡fan: University of Iceland Press, pp. 69-86.